The Sir Walter factor

We know you know Raleigh, but what about Sir Walter?

The adventurer portrayed in the new movie "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is a handsome, rapscallion pirate-hunk, the kind of guy who causes heaving breasts and jealous rage.

Some of this can be credited to the casting of actor Clive Owen, for whom modern-day women swoon. But most of it is owed to Sir Walter himself, a manly man if there ever was one. And it's not as though Hollywood had to embellish.

"He was known to be extravagant in both his dress and his conduct," said Jeanne Marie Warzeski, curator of Colonial and antebellum history at the N.C. Museum of History.

The state legislature thought enough of Walt to name the city after him in 1792, to honor his sponsorship of the Roanoke Colony. The surname then lost some of its swashbucklingness in subsequent years, as Sir Walter Raleigh became better-known as a Chevy dealership, and the non-hunk Andy Griffith played Walter in productions of "The Lost Colony" in the 1950s.

All of which got us thinking: If Sir Walter was adored by women and admired by men in the 1500s, how does his namesake city reflect this well-deserved reputation today?

Sir Walter...

was stylish. The man was partial to poofy trunk hose.

Raleigh...

is home to people who revel in using their garden hoses, but only when such use is not restricted, of course.

Sir Walter...

was desirable. Just ask Queen Elizabeth and the women in her court.

Raleigh...

is also desirable. What's not to like about good schools, safe neighborhoods and a low cost-of-living?

Sir Walter...

was brave. Despite long odds, he threw himself into battle against Spain.

Raleigh...

is somewhat less brave. The city once shied away from putting colorful chandeliers on Fayetteville Street.

Sir Walter...

was dashing. He presented the queen with a box of stolen Spanish gold.

Raleigh...

this summer presented to its people a concert by Eddie Money.

Sir Walter...

was a player. If he wasn't smooching Elizabeth, he was unlacing the bodice of her friend.

Raleigh...

in 2009 will play host the American Chamber of Commerce Executives in its new convention center.